Empowering Your Campaign Volunteers
Capital campaign volunteers are the lifeblood of a nonprofit organization. They are passionate advocates for organizations, sharing their involvement with friends, neighbors, and colleagues. A nonprofit will not find more effective public relations than a motivated volunteer, especially during a capital campaign.
A common oversight during the planning stages of a capital campaign is to overlook the strong influence that a volunteer has over a campaign’s success. They are the foundation of any campaign, but most importantly, they are the most effective in fundraising. Why? Because people give to people, not causes.
Coach Your Volunteers
Most volunteers feel uncomfortable and are hesitant to make any kind of commitment when it comes to asking for money. So you must coach and use your volunteers to solicit the support of others in your community. This is why your highest priority when planning a capital campaign should be the education and training of volunteers in effective capital fundraising techniques.
Constantly remind your volunteers that they are asking for money for the organization they represent, not for themselves. While it may sound obvious to you, never assume your volunteers have the same understanding. Simply pointing out this fact will often make a volunteer feel more at ease about the solicitation process.
Training meetings are a necessity, as is the commitment of each volunteer to attend. Schedule 1-1.5 hours for the meeting and plan the agenda in advance, keeping in mind your objective: preparing your volunteers for easy, effective solicitation.
Have Your Volunteers Set an Example of Giving
Explain to each volunteer that it is much easier to ask for a gift when they themselves have already committed to the cause. The most important principle in fundraising is that to be a good solicitor, you must first be a good donor. It is a much more persuasive request when the volunteer can approach a prospect with “I would like to ask you to join me in supporting the organization with a gift of…” It is not imperative, but highly recommended, that the volunteer seek gifts at the same level as their own giving.
Be Specific When Asking for a Meeting
We are all busy and have infinite demands on our time; therefore, the most effective way to get on someone’s schedule is to call and request a formal time. Stress to the volunteers the importance of suggesting a specific day at a specific time, and always try to include spouses. When soliciting someone familiar, there is a tendency to make a casual appointment that can easily slip by. By teaching your volunteers to schedule a formal time to meet, they are sending out the message that this is a very important campaign to them personally.
Another challenge volunteers often face when asking someone they know for a formal meeting is responding to the prospect’s direct request for information over the phone. Gifts are typically much smaller when made over the phone. A response such as, “This is very important to my spouse and I. I’d really like to sit down and share why I feel it’s so important,” should not only be taught to each volunteer, but also rehearsed. The more prepared your volunteers are to respond, the more comfortable they will be, which will result in a highly successful campaign.
Prepare Appropriately
Remind your volunteers to spend a few minutes thinking about the prospect, including what may interest them about the organization and/or the campaign. Consider what the prospect could give if they wanted to and were highly motivated, not what you feel they will give.
Additionally, have your volunteer familiarize themselves with the facts of the campaign before a gift solicitation meeting. The more conversant they are about the campaign, its needs, and its vision, the easier it is to talk about it and project the enthusiasm that will inspire others to give. Have your volunteers focus on one or two things that excite them about the campaign and then encourage them to share those exciting ideas with the prospect.
Volunteers should be encouraged to visit in teams whenever possible. The most effective solicitations are done with two visitors. If a team is going to ask for a gift, the volunteers should review the approach to the meeting before going on the visit. Who will conduct which parts of the meeting, who will ask for the gift, etc. and again, make up a few scenarios for a practice run.
Remember, people give to people. This makes your campaign volunteers your greatest asset when fundraising, but they will only be as effective as your coaching.
CDS has been a leader in nonprofit fundraising for the past three decades. Contact us for more intensive help with your major gift fundraising, strategic planning, or preparing for a capital campaign.